Iron and Silver
by HecateA
Summary: When Sirius steps into a fairy ring, Remus faces a difficult choice. Fairy!AU. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: **This is another one of those fics that could only come into existence via efforts to hit multiple lists of prompts. Also listen, there is so much fairy lore that in this one, we're going to go ahead and say that fairies don't like iron, werewolves don't like silver, and that's that.

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Criminology, Assignment #11 — Conspiracy to commit (crime) - Write about manipulating someone into doing something.

**Warnings: **As per the prompt, lots of manipulation and coercion in this fic. Set to faery-related folklore.

* * *

**Stacked with: ** Hogwarts; Shipping War; Sky's The Limit; Flouting Regulations; Eternal Rhapsody

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC (x2); Bow Before the Blacks; Creature People; Seeds; Old Shoes; Themes and Things B (Risk); Lovely Triangle; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Representation(s): **Sirius/Remus/Tonks

**Bonus challenge(s): **A Long Dog; Eternal Boredom; Larger Than Life; Unicorn; Lock & Key; Second Verse (Zucchini Bread); Chorus (Pear-Shaped)

**Tertiary bonus challenge: **Evolution

**Word Count: **983

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_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin (Technicolour Moon)

**List (Prompt): **Summer Micro 2 (Fairy/Fae)

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**Iron and Silver**

_Oh, foolish fay,_

_Think you because_

_Man's brave array_

_My bosom thaws_

_I'd disobey_

_Our fairy laws?_

_Because I fly_

_In realms above,_

_In tendency_

_To fall in love_

_Resemble I_

_The amorous dove?_

-The Fairy Queen's Song by William Schwenck Gilbert

"It wasn't me who ate the berries, it was Padfoot."

"Sirius, you _are _Padfoot," Remus sighed. "You _are _liable to what you do in your animal form."

"Look at you, going on about control and animal forms," Sirius grinned.

"You know what, now would be a great time to start taking the current situation seriously—you know, given the faerie holding a dagger to your throat."

"It's not very kind to talk about me as if I'm not here," the faerie said. She had one hand in Sirius' hair, holding him up, and another did indeed hold a dagger to his throat.

"Look," Remus sighed. "Are you _sure _that my friend here ate faerie food?"

"Fairy food is fairy food even if we're still in the process of growing it. Believe me, this isn't quite the type of mistake we make easily," the faerie said. "Additionally, as you can also see by looking downwards very quickly, he trespassed into a faerie ring."

Remus looked down and then back up with a sigh.

"Sirius Black…"

The faerie smiled at him. For a second, her teeth seemed sharper, like a cat's. She shook her pink hair back so it tumbled away from her face. Gossamer wings shimmered behind her, folded down like a bird's despite their dragonfly-like transparence. Remus had never met a member of the fair folk in person before, but he knew not to believe her pretty looks or charm. He was rather sure that her ensemble had been patched together out of found items picked up off of lost travelers in the woods. Her patchwork dress tumbled to the ground and pooled at her feet. It had been sewn together with hay and vines, with leaves and sap and mud patching up the remnants.

"I understand that he's a very stupid man," Remus said. "That being said, I'm rather attached and would like him back."

"That's unfortunate."

Remus took a step forward. She hissed when the iron of his dagger got too close, and frowned at him. When she jumped backwards, the dress flew backwards revealing bare legs and dirt-covered feet. "Careful with that. You out of all people should be more mindful about swinging hostile metals around."

"So you know what I am?" Remus said.

"As if it's hard to tell," the faye smiled. "You see, some of us know magic."

Remus wasn't sure what to do with this.

"Listen, he didn't mean to," Remus said. "It was an accident. We're only in these woods to harvest for a potion. We made the right offerings to the trees and gardens in exchange. We are only passing through."

"Maybe _you _are," she said. Her fingers tightened in Sirius' hair, and Remus heard him suck in a breath.

"She's stronger than she looks, Remus."

"You have no idea," the faye said.

"Look," Remus said. "Your kind loves deals and negotiations, yes? Surely there's something you can do…"

She arched an eyebrow.

"Well, I must say that I hadn't set eyes on either of you until approximately 12 minutes ago, meaning that I'm not quite attached to either one of you. I suppose that given the circumstances, I don't particularly care who serves the penance for trespass. You could serve if you would rather see your friend go free."

"Remus, no," Sirius said. "Don't do this."

"I must say, I don't know what makes you believe you have any kind of control in this situation, but you _have _been misled," the faerie hissed at him. Examining the dagger in her hand, decorated with symbols from a language Remus didn't know, he realised that it was silver.

"I won't negotiate with you if you're holding that blade," Remus said.

"You still seem to be holding yours," the fairy noted.

"I won't put it down until you do," Remus said. "If anything, you have the upper-hand since my wand isn't drawn."

"Hmm," the fairy said. She smiled at him. "You know, many people try to negotiate with the fair folk."

"How am I doing?"

"Better than anticipated," she said. "But like I said. Someone needs to serve the penance for trespassing onto our land. I'll be happy to let your friend go…"

"In exchange for my captivity? You do realize that coercion is an ugly, ugly thing."

"Perhaps in mortal law. Need I remind you, your friend broke something much older," the fairy said. "But like I also said. You amuse me. I would protect you in our court, you know."

"Touching," Remus said. What a good time to realise that there was blood on her dress.

"It's a more useful offer than you think," she smiled. "Your friend, on the other hand, annoys me. This is the fifth non-verbal spell he's tried to cast on me."

"Sirius," Remus hissed.

"Don't go with her," Sirius said.

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Remus said. "This penance, how long is it?"

"As long as you'd like it," she smiled. "You see, many people like the fairy's court. You might get attached to the way our power shields you from the shifts of the moon…"

"Don't play games with me. How long will you keep me?"

"I've convinced you, have I?"

"You've manipulated me," Remus told the fairy.

"Not according to the law of the fae," she smiled. "Which, unless I'm mistaken about your intentions, you'd do well to get to know soon. Now why don't we leave our distasteful weapons aside while we converse? On the count of three…"

Each number she counted off was like a drop of honey. One… Two…

At three, their iron and silver blades clattered to the ground.


End file.
